Submarine life-boat.



D. v. REEVES. SUBMARINE LIFE BOAT. APPLICATION FILE D APR.19. 1915.

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. REEVES suMAmNE .LIFE BOAT.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 19, |915.

Patented Jan. 2,1917.

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' merged vessel A3o returned to the sunken vessel and' communi-t used as a'portion of the 'Massachusetts `in submarine life boats and the object therethe/Staterooms as -upon a submarlne vessel may be so located as DAVID VICTOR REEVES, 0F EAST DEDHAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

SUBMARINE LIFE-BOAT.

speciacation of Letters Patent.

, Patented Jan. 2, reir.

Application filed April 19,1915. Serial No. 22,222.

To all whom t may concern Y Be it known that I, DAVID VICTOR Rnnvns, a citizen of the United States, and resident of East Dedham, county of Norfolk, State of have invented an Improve-v ment in Submarine Life-Boats, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like .characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to improvements of is to producea life boat which may be rigidly attached to a ship whether a merchants liner, passenger 'vessel or submarine craft and provided with means whereby the persons upon a sinking ship may pass to the life boat either before or after the ship sinks and after the ship is submerged may release the life boat and permit the same to rise to the surface.

Another object of the invention is to provide a life boat of the character described with propulsive equipment adapted to be actuated either by power such as an internal combustion engine or by hand and also to provide said lifeboat with an equipmentwhereby air may be supplied to the subfor the purpose of maintaining the lives of people who may have failed to enter the life boat or for the purpose of supplying air tothe submerged ship to float the-same.

Another object of the vide a means whereby the life invention is to proboat may be cation again made with the interior of the airtight compartment of the ship.

Another object of the invention is to provide life boats of the character above' described of such construction thatthey may be ship to lwhich they are attached, foreXample if the life boats forma part of the equipment of av passenger vessel they may be so arranged in respect to to form a suite or if used to be utilized as the conning tower.

Other objectsof the invention will be more fully described in the following description and particularly pointed out in the appended claims;

Figure 1 is, a vertical longitudinal sec- Athus precipitating water.

tional view of a life boat embodying a prey ferred form of the invention, also illustrating the life boat as attached to the deck of a vessel, Fig.v2 is a horizontal sectional view of the life boat illustrated in 1, Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of a submarine lifeboat showing in .sectionl the upper deck of a submarine vessel to which the submarine life boat is attached, Fig. 4 is a detail view of the hatch closngnechanisms for the ship and l submarine, Fig. 5 is a' detail plan view of the life'boat hatch showing in dotted lines the automatic closure for the hatch of the main ship, Fig. 6 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the same, Fig. 7 is a plan View of a submarine with two life boats superposed on the deck thereof in alinement and showing a connection between the conning tower of the submarine and the stern of one of the hfe boats, Fig. 8 is a vertical transversesectional lview of ya nest of submarine li-fe 'boats attached to the deck of a ship, and Fig. 9 is a plan view of a passenger vessel equipped withl a series of submarine life boats of the characterabove described which alrl. accessible from the Staterooms of the S P- 1 It. has been demonstrated in recent years that vthe usual type of open life boats is wholly ineiiicient and inadequate to protect the lives of the people who yearly travel the ocean and inland waterways, since frequently vessels sink before the life boats can be launched or when the life boats are launched in a 'heavy sea they are frequently crushed against the side of the ship or upset, ,the 'occupants into the Furthermore', so far as I lam aware no life boats have heretofore been devised for use upon submarine vessels. The necessity of such life boats has been demonstrated fre'- quently within the last few yearslsince several submarines have sunk to tv efbottom of the ocean and the occupants bein-g unable to escape have been drowned or suiocated.

The present invention is intended to provide means whereby` the occupants", ofvany` vessel, whether of the surface type or the` submarine, may be saved even after the -vessel has become submerged. Thel preferred form of y illustrated in the accompanying' drawings life beet Whiehiisj comprises an inclosed body portion which preferably is substantially cylindrical in forin and has a substantially .hemispherical stern 2 to present the greatest possible amount of rigidity under compression. The

ebow 3 of the life boat may however be taf pered yas illustrated in F ig. 2 to present a suitable prow` for cuttin the waves. In

' such case a transverse bul zhead Ll-desirably l may be provided to strengthen the bow por.- tion, said bulkhead ybeing* also adapted to serve as the wall of a fuel tank 5 which may be provided with a tight cover 6. and a screw cap 7 through which liquid fuelmay be introduced into' the tank. Y 1

The life boat desirably is equipped with motive power preferably in the, form 'of a vgasolene engine 8 connected to Vthe shaftV 9 -of a propellingl screw 10, a removable por- 2OA tion 11 of the shaft being connected by. detachable universal joints 12-13 lto the motor. A shaft 9 provides means for driving thevlife'boat by hand power. The shaft 11 is removable to permit free' access to the hatch hereinafter to be described and also,

to providemea'ns whereby the boat may be Apropelled by hand by a suitable crank 14,

connected by gears or a chain drive 15 to the shaft 9. By thus providing means for driving the 'life boat by hand the boat may be propelled in rising so as to -avoid obstructions. The hand power may also be used if thelife boat is returned to the ship Vto position the vhatches of the same properly in registration with the hatches upon the ship.

The life boat will of course be provided' with a rudder 1G preferably having its stem" 17 extending through the hull of .thelife boat and handle 18. The life boat may also be equipped with a steering wheel V19 mounted upon the bulkhead l and connected by lines or chains in any suitable manner with .the rudder aforesaid.

.A suitable protecting cage (not shown) 'may be provided for thev rudder and screw and so attached to the hull of the life. boat that it may be detached from within after the life boat has reached the surface.

The body of .the life boat is desirably pro-` vided with. a.v plurality 'of lateral ingress 'openings 20,"top openings of like character *and preferably two bottom ingress openings `21-'22. These :openings may te! be ofanyl suitable character, either roun rectangular or oblong but preferably are circular in order to provide the maximum space. They are provided with 'suitable hermetic 'closures whichvpreferably are in the form of hinged 'doors A23 which may be'securedin place by suitable bolts 24 or other fastenings.

Usually. are submarine life Atoa will be l secured to the deck of the vessel and means will therefore provided which will perprovided with a lquadrant steering mit the entrance of passengers through the bottom of the life boat. As illustrated herein the submarine life boat is secured to the deck of the vessel preferably by a series of long bolts 25 which pass through reinforcedr plates 26 surrounding an annular hatchway 27 in the life boat said bolts extending into a similar thickened or reinforced plate 28 of the same size and form hatchway 29 in the deck 30 or submarine.

surrounding the of the main ship lt will therefore be-obvious that the hatchway in the bottom of the life boat will regiscuring the same to the annular plate 26 and' may be provided with suitable permanent packing to hermetically seal the .hatchwzyv when the plate 31 is closed. j

in order to providemeans for quickly.

clamping the plate 31 in positiona slot 33 is 1 provided opposite the hinge, Vsaid slot being adapted to receive a bolt 34 suitably pivoted in the plate 26 and provided with'a winged clamping nut 35. The plate 31 will also be provided with a series of clamping bolts 36 by which the same may be permanentlyl se-v ',eured to the flange 26 thus rendering the bottom of the life boat air and watertight.

The ingress opening of the lifeboat preferably connects with an air tight compartment of the main ship' which may be closed.

off in such a manner that the passengers which are assembled there will have additional time in which to enter the life boat and also to provide means whereby the air which is within the ship maybe retained therein to assist iny raising the ship. I have therefore provided means for closing the hatchway 29 of the main vesseland Ahermetically sealing the same sothat after the life boat lhas been detached the air `chamber will 4still remain vfilled with air. A preferred means for closin'gthe vhatchway of` the main shipcomprises a plate 40 havinga hinge 41 connecting the same to a thickened flange 28. The hinge 41 preferably is practically beneath the hinge 32 in the life boat lhatch so that the cover plates 31 and 40 both openupwardly into thebody of the sub'- marine life boat when the hatchway -is opened. By this construction.- itis obvious that in order to close the ingress hatchway 27 ofthe llife boat it is necessary first to close the exit hatchway 29 of the main ship.

The cover plate 40 will be provided with a series ofbolts 42 by which thesame may be clamped firmly' against i. the supporting I ledge 43.

In order to insure a more perfect closure of the egress opening of the hatchway of the main vessel I have provided an additional automatic closure forthe hatch or an auto hatch which will be thrust into closed position when the submarine life boat is released from the main ship. As illustrated herein this closure comprises a wedge shaped plate 44 mounted in suitable ways on the under side of the deck 30, the plate being provided with a depending arm or stud 45 which is attached to a cable 46 passing from a pulley 47 supported in overhanging bearings 48 and provided at its end with a counterweight 49 adapted normally to pull the plate 44 into closed position. A suitable-wedge shaped seat 50 is provided beneath the hatchway into which the plate 44 is adapted to be thrust upon its release, said seat serving to force the plate 44 tightly againstthe under wall ofthe hatchway.

The wedge shaped plate 44 is normally retained in retracted position by the bolts 25 which pass down through the bottom of the life boat into the deck of the ship or sub-l marine the bolts 25 being of a sufficient length to extend in the path of the wedge shaped plate 44.

It will be obvious therefore that when the bolt 25 is withdrawn the wedge l shaped plate will be released and will be forced by the counterweight 49 into the seat 50, thus tightly closing the hatchway from beneath.

In order to preventv water from entering the main ship after the bolts 25 have been withdrawn to release the life boat suitable valves may be provided to cover the bolt holes. A ball valve for this purpose is illustrated herein `,which comprises a ball 51 seated in a suitable recess 52 in the thickened portion or flange 28 of the deck of the vessel, the ball being adapted to roll intoposition above the bolt hole upon the removal of the bolt 25 and to prevent water from entering thevessel. The ball will be retained in its seat by the external pressure of the water.

In order that the bolts 25 may be readily inserted the ball 51 is made of a diameter considerably in excess of the diameter of the boltso that when the hatchways 27 and 29 are superposed and the bolts 25 thrust downward they will strike tangentially upon the ball and roll it from closing position and thereby permit the bolt 25 to be thrust into engagement with its bolt hole in the deck of the main ship.

It is desirable where the life boat is used upon a submarine vessel to provide-means whereby the submarine may be supplied with air from the vlife boat lafter the latter has risen to the surface, either to float. the same or to maintain the lives of such persons as may be left in the submarine. For this purose the submarine life-boat may bepro-'f vided with means for reeling up and for hoisting an air hose which may be suitably 4connected to thesubmarine or to the air tight compartments of the ship. It is also desirable that means may be provided for connecting the life boat to the ship which may be used either to raise the sunken vessel, if not waterlogged, or to provide means whereby the submarine lifeboat may be returned to the sunken vessel as a diving bell.

sets of windlasses 56 and 57 the windlasses 56 serving to support an air hose or a linev suitably attached to an air hose and windlass 57' supporting a Acable 58 or a line fastened to a cable.

The cable 58 may be suitably secured to the deck or frame of the vessel and may if' desired be coiled upon the deck of the ship or submarine the end only of the cable or a line attached thereto extending within the chamber 54 andl being attached to the wind; lass. The air hose 59 may' desirably extend from the windlass" to the deck ofthe submarine or vessel and there be attached by suitable couplings to a permanent air pipe 60 leading to the interior of the vessel. The pipe 60 may be provided with suitable check valves61 andr automatic valves 62 which will plate 44 to establish air connection between the air hose 59 and the interior of the sunken vessel when the submarine is released. Two die'r'ent mechanisms for this purpose are illustrated. In Fig. 1 of the drawing, the

--the re.r r hatchway the weight 49 engages the lever -64 of the valve 32 upon the release vof `the auto hatch 44.

It will thus be seen that the hose connection k,between the submarine and the life boat l will be at once effected when the life boat is cas-t away from the ship. When the boat'has risen to the surface the endof the hose may windlasscompartment 54 and attached to-a suitable air pump 65 which may be actuated either from the engine upon the life boat or' by hand.,

Suitable compressed air tanks 66 may\ be .be operated by the mechanism releasing the Vbe drawn through the hand hole 55 in the A supported in the central portion of the life boat and provided with connections leading to the windlass compartments 54 so that the water may be expelled therefrom when the windlass is to be used. The compressed air may also be used if necessary to prevent suffocatio of the occupants while the same is submerged, although it is to be understood' that thezvlifebo Ls will be equipped with oxygen 'apparatus or oxygen tanks of sufficient capacity to maintain the lives of the occu pants for several hours.

In order to adapt a life boat of the character above described to a submarine which The deck 30 of the submarine is provided with a depression or recess 67 intowhich the hull l of the life boat may lit. The life boat and the submarine have the same form of hatches as above described and the same'reference numerals are applied in vthese figures to like parts.

. As illustrated in Fig. 3 a single life boat may be attached to the deck of the submarine and may serve as a vconning tower, suitable bulls eyes 68 being provided forward and aft and if desired at the sides for the purpose of permitting the oflicers to take obi servatio-ns after rising to the surface. These bulls eyes may of course -be provided with suitable cover plates which will hermetically seal the same and prevent breakage of the I glass when the lifeboat is submerged.

In Fig. 7 I haveillustrated two life boats similarly supported upon the deck of a suhmarine, one in front of and the other aft of the .conning tower. These life boatsmay be accessible through hatchways in the bottom as above describedand also may be provided with doors at the end connecting with the conning tower.

- In Fig. 7 I have shown suitable apertures 2Oa with cover plates 21a by which access may bevhad from the stern of one of the life boats to the` conning tower and it will be readily understood that similar means of access may be had to the other life boat or that the life boat may-be placed upon the submarines in reversed position so 4that the stern of both life boats shall rest against the conning tower and be secured thereto in the manner aforesaid. y

-In View ofthe fact that the preferable form of life boat is cylindrical and the space Itherein necessarily restricted it is desirabie that thelife boat be provided with a deck.

This may be accomplished by providing the sides of the life boat with laterally extending lugs or projections 70 adapted to receive the screw threaded ends of stanchions 71'l which may support the outer ends of suitable deck beams 73, preferably in the form of T-beams resting at their inner ends upon the body l of the life boat and secured thereto by suitable bolts. The stanchions may be,

provided at their tops with rings 74 to receivelife lines extending from `the forward to the aft end of the boat. l

It will be understood that the life boat will be provided with the necessary equipment for such voyage as vmay be necessary.`

provided above the water line with suitable port holes 78 which may be closed with cover plates as aforesaid.

In order to conserve the power of the life boat I have provided a step 79 for a jury vmast (not shown) which may be in sections of such lengths as to be conveniently stored within the .life boat and which may be erected and lashed to suitable wings not hown upon the deck or sides .of the life oat.

boats of the character above described piled one upon the other. In this construction the dec-k of the main vessel is provided with egress openings so spaced that the adjacent walls of the life boatsO,v 81, and 82 will come in contact and may be securely boltedA or lashed together. In this construction the passages 84 may be provided from one life boat to another so that when the whole are assembled they may form a single raft or-if desired each`life boat may be used separately. Other life boats 85, 86, and 87 may be superposed upon the life boats 80, 81, 82

In Fig. 8 I have illustrated a nest of life I if desired so that such number of intercommunicating life boats may be provided as may be necessary for a passenger ship. i In Fig. 9 I have illustrated a furthermodllication showing additional uses to whichl this invention may be placed. In this figure a serieslof.' life boats 90 of the character above described are illustrated as supported upon the deck of a passenger vessel andv so arranged that the lateral openings 20 will lead to. Staterooms 91. The life boats' may therefore form a part of a suite of state'- v rooms and may be equipped `with suitable furnishings for the comfort of the passenwere occupying such suites. In such case willusually be had from the vessel tailed to each boat to man the same and Ato attend properly tothe launching of the life boat after it has become submerged.

It Will be understood that the life boats will be provided with the usual rings or choclrs fo-r the purpose of hoisting the same aboard the main-ship or for launching the same so that the life boat may be, used as a tender or launch.

It Will be obvious from the description above given that the life boats are adapted equally Well for use upon surface boats or upon submarines, that they may be launched in the usual manner from the deck of a ship if the same is loating and may bedropped precipitately into the sea without danger `of drowning the passengers or swamping the life boat, thus avoiding the danger of being cast against the vessel by the sea.l

Furthermore the life boats may safely remain upon the main vessel until the same is submerged and thereafter be released in the manner aforesaid. When the life boat is used upon a submarine the same will serve not only as a life boat but as a diving bell,

the life boat being returned to the mainvv vessel by Winding up the Windlass cables -Which preferably are located on opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the submarine in order that the same may be properly positioned upon its original seat. When the sunken boat is reached the life boat. may be properly positioned in the depression or recess forming its cradle by manipulation of a hand operated propelling mechanism the connecting bolts 25 connected to the deck of the ship and thereafter connection established between the life boat andi the main vessel in the manner aforesal If it is necessary for the life boat to leave the submarine because of Weather conditions or otherwise the cables 58 and the air pipes 59 may be attached to suitable buoys which Will mark the spot at which the submarine is located or if such buoys are not available the, cables may be readily grappled by a searching vessel ,and thereafter used either to raise the submarine if not Waterlogged or to tilt the same sufficiently topermit the usual hoisting cables to be attached.

It is to be understood that the embodiment of the invention disclosed herein is illustrativeJ merely and is not restrictive. That the form of life boat maybe varied, that the manner of its attachment tothe vessel may be changed as found necessary or Y desirable and that various other 'modifica-A tions may be made, the gist of the invention residing in providing a vessel either submarine or surface vessel with an a1r tight life boat provided With means whereby the occupants of the main vessel may enter the life boat after the same has been submerged with means for closing the egress and ingress passages of the respective boats from within the life boat and means for releasing the life boat from the main ship.

Having'thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

i 1. In combination With a ship having an egress passage, a'submarine life boat having an air tight body provided with an ingress passage and means for detachably securing said life boat to said ship with said egress and ingress passages in connection, and means for closing the ingress passage of the life boat from the interior of the life boat and automatically operating means adapted to be' actuated upon the release of the life boatto close the egress passage of lthe ship. f

2. In combination With a ship having an egress passage, a submarine vlife boat having an air tight body provided With an ingress passage and means for detachably securing said life boat to 'said ship With said egress and ingress passages in connection, and means for closing both the egress passage of the ship and the ingress passage of the life boat from Within the latter and supplemental automatic means adapted to be actuated upon the release of the life boat to reinf'lorce the closure of the egress passage of the ship.

3L In combination With a ship having a hatch, a submarine life boat having an air tight body provided with a hatch adapted to be superimposed upon the ships hatch, bolts for securing the life boat to the ship, independent means for closing the respective hatches of the ship and life boat, a supplemental closure for the hatch of the ship cemprising a counterweighted sliding plate, normally resting against the bolts Which secure the life boat to the ship and adapted to be .released when the bolts are Withdrawn substantially as described.

1l. In combination with a ship having a hatch, a submarine life boat having a Water-k tight body, and provided with. a hatch spectively vfor the hatches of the ship and the life boat and means for closing the bolt holes in the ship when the boltsy are Withdrawn therefrom to release the life boat.

5. In combination with a ship having a' hatch, a submarine life boat having a Watertight body, and provided with a hatch adaptedl to be superimposed upon the ships hatch, bolts for securing the lifeI boat to the ship, independently. operable closures respectively l and means for automatically closin'g the bolt.

for the hatches of-the ship and the life boat holes in the' ship When the bolts are Withdrawntherefrom to release the life boat.

6. In combination with a ship having an egress passage, a life boat having an air tight compartment detachably connected to said ship and provided with an ingress passage adapted to connect with the egress passage of the ship, a hose connected With said ship, a Windlass upon said life boat adapted to receive and to coil up said hose whereby air may be supplied to the submerged ship Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the "Washington, D. C.

after the life boat has reached the. surface of the Water.

of intercommunicating submarine life boats having ingress passages' connected With egress passages in said ship, means for closing the respective passages for releasing the life boats from the main ship and means for releasing the life boats Vfrom each other substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed myA name to this specification.

DAVID VICTOR I'tffElES.`

Gommissioner ci @atenta 15 Y .7. In combination'with a ship, a plurality 

